1. Technical Field
The present invention is related generally to phenylalanine mustards. More particularly, the present invention is related to the synthesis of new, system L specific amino acid nitrogen mustards useful as antineoplastic agents and as probes for identifying the L-amino acid transport system.
2. State of the Art
The phenyalanine mustards, a group of antitumor agents of the alkylating agent class, were synthesized in the 1950's and found to possess a broad range of antitumor activity aginst both experimental and human neoplasms. These antitumor agents incorporated into their structure the physiological amino acid carrier phenylalanine and the cytotoxic bis(2-chloroethyl) amino group. However, even though effective as antitumor agents, the degree of myelosuppression produced by this group of antineoplastic compounds was found to be undesirable and dose-limiting. Hence, the need to develop more selective antitumor agents inter alia with reduced myelosuppressive activity became obvious.